


Fact or Fiction

by LuvBusters



Category: The Real Ghostbusters
Genre: F/M, Language, Regret, death/grief, love/comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-11-12 10:01:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18008837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuvBusters/pseuds/LuvBusters
Summary: The Ghostbusters deal with Janine’s death after a bad bust. But they soon discover there’s more to it than they think.





	Fact or Fiction

They were all too stunned to speak, even think. Peter had always presumed that if anyone ever got killed on a bust, it would be him. He preferred it to be him to spare the rest of the team. But this was more than any of them could bear.

As they walked into the Firehouse, they all silently stopped in front of her desk. Ray burst into another round of tears; Winston stood like a statue; Peter felt lost; and Egon...he was taking it worse than any of them. He headed straight to the lab, to close himself off from the world...from the pain….from the memories - regrets of everything he should have said years ago. And now it was too late. 

Peter and the others slowly made it upstairs. Ray went straight to the bunk room to lay down. Winston headed for the shower. Peter went to the lab. 

He saw Egon staring out the window, a mixture of anger and sorrow spread across his face. Peter slowly walked up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s ok to be mad, you know,” Peter assured him. “And to be sad….but please, be something! You haven’t said a word since we left the hospital.”

Egon looked at Peter, a look of total despair. “I can’t forget the look on her mother’s face….when we told her that she was….that she had….. I don’t know what to do Peter. I’ve replayed it in my mind countless times, and each time I cannot figure out how things could have been different.”

“Don’t play the blame game,” Peter said. “We just need to make sure we get this damn thing! We owe Janine that much.”

Two days later, the guys were dressed in suits and ties. As they arrived at the cemetery, they could see the many family members and friends were there. Egon went up to Mrs. Melnitz and hugged her. 

“Thanks for being here,” she said. “It would’ve meant the world to her.”

It was agony for them, especially when it was their turn to speak. They all managed to hold it together, even Egon. Afterwards, they returned to the Firehouse. Egon went straight back to the lab. The others followed, worried about his emotional state.

“Spengs, why don’t you grab a cup of coffee with us?” Peter asked.

“No thank you. I just want to be alone,” Egon replied flatly. His face was completely void of any emotion.

“Egon, you need to be with friends right now,” Peter urged.

“NO! Please leave me ALONE!” Egon snapped.

“Come on, Pete. Give him some space,” Winston said softly, pulling Peter’s arm.

“Alright….for now,” Peter said.

Over the next two weeks, Winston and Ray were handling most of the calls themselves. Peter occasionally helped but mostly, he stayed at the Firehouse. He kept trying to get through to Egon, who had shut himself off from everything. 

Egon was barely eating, just enough to keep his blood sugar from crashing. He hadn’t shaved in two weeks; he had started growing a beard. It would look good if he kept it trimmed nicely. Instead, he looked a bit like a wild man with glasses.

Peter was having his own issues with depression. But, him being the team’s psychologist, made it difficult for him to take care of himself. He couldn’t exactly counsel himself. Ray and Winston had tried to have some talks with him, but Peter was shutting himself off too. 

Winston and Ray had left for a bust down by the harbor. It was in the neighborhood where Janine had lived. So they were already hesitant. Ray and Winston headed towards the door to the old warehouse. Ray stopped at the doorway.

Winston noticed Ray wasn’t behind him just a few steps inside. He turned around, facing Ray. “Hey man, you coming?”

Ray’s face had paled. He was staring inside the building with a haunted expression. “I….I….don’t think I can,” he whispered.

Winston walked back over to him. “It’s ok, Ray. Just take a few deep breaths and let it out.”

“I don’t know what the problem is,” Ray whined.

“I do. It looks a lot like where Janine….,” Winston said. “But we’ve got a job to do. Think you can help me?”

Ray steeled himself. “Yeah, let’s do it.”

Two more days later, Egon had laid down on the couch in his lab. Exhaustion had finally won; he had fought sleep lately. He kept having nightmares; mostly, reliving the day Janine was killed. 

Egon and the others were holding the ghost in the streams. Janine threw out the trap. Suddenly, the ghost pulled free and managed to grab a wooden board laying close by. It threw the board at Janine, hitting her in the head. 

“Janine! Hold your fire!” Egon yelled to the others. 

They all stopped their throwers as they saw Janine holding her head, struggling to stay upright. She had blood running down the side of her face. Just as Egon was starting to run towards her, Winston grabbed his arm.

“Wait!” He yelled.

The ghost was firing blasts of bright yellow energy at them. Egon almost got hit. Peter prepared to fire his thrower when Janine grabbed the trap. She repositioned it to try and capture the ghost. 

It grabbed another board and threw it at her. She dodged it. Then, the ghost shot a blast of yellow energy at Janine. She screamed as she hit the ground. The ghost vanished as the guys ran towards her.

“Oh god, Janine!” Egon yelled. He knelt on the ground, holding her in his arms. The blast had burned her left arm causing third degree burns. Her head was still bleeding from the earlier hit. Then he saw it: part of the board from the first hit had impaled her through the stomach. 

Winston came around quickly with Ecto-1 as Peter and Ray were helping Egon get Janine to the area where he parked. 

They hurriedly rushed down the highway as Egon held her in his arms. Peter was applying pressure to her stomach to prevent more blood loss. But Janine’s face had paled dramatically. 

“Egon?” She said weakly.

“Yes?” He replied.

“It hurts,” she whispered. 

“I know; just hang on,” Egon begged. 

Janine’s eyes slowly closed as she struggled to take a deep breath.

“Come on, Janine! Stay with me!” Peter yelled, his voice laced with panic.

She slowly let out the breath she had taken, but her chest didn’t rise back up. Her right hand that had been holding Egon’s went limp. 

“Janine! No!” Egon screamed. 

Suddenly, Egon awoke to Peter shaking him by the arm. “Wake up, Big Guy!”

Egon sat up in a panic, sweat beaded along his hairline just above his forehead. 

“Peter! Sorry, I…..,” Egon started.

“It’s ok. I understand. I’ve had my share of nightmares, too,” Peter admitted.

Egon removed his glasses, wiping the sweat away. He noticed that his hands were shaking. He tried to hide it but Peter had already seen it.

“How long have you been like this?” Peter asked, gesturing to Egon’s hands.

“I don’t know...I haven’t noticed until now.” Egon looked at his hands more closely. “Peter?”

“Yeah buddy?”

“Janine was holding my hand in this dream.”

Peter arched his eyebrows. “And?”

“She wasn’t doing that in the previous dreams I’ve had,” Egon explained, his mind searching for a connection. 

Peter leaned forward in the chair he was sitting in. “What are you saying?”

“I’m not sure…..yet,” Egon said. He hurriedly got up looking for a notebook and a pen. He quickly started writing down things.

“What is this? A journal?” Peter asked, even more confused.

“I’ve had these nightmares for the past two weeks,” Egon explained. “I’m writing down the differences from each one.”

Ray and Winston had returned from the call and had put the gooper in the containment unit. 

“What’s going on?” Ray asked as they entered the lab.

“Spengs might be onto something!” Peter explained. 

“I’ve realized there have been subtle differences in details of my nightmares,” Egon began. “It’s generally the same thing: the day Janine was….. Anyway, in one dream, she whispered my name right as we arrived at the hospital.”

“No, that’s not how I remember it!” Ray spoke up. “She was gone before we made it to the hospital!”

“No, Ray! They lost her in surgery!” Winston chimed in. 

“Hold it! How is it that we all have different memories?” Peter shouted, frustrated. “We were all there! How could we have different memories?!”

Egon smiled. “My point exactly.” He then walked briskly over to the bookshelf. 

“Spengs, Whatcha doin?” Peter asked.

Egon was rummaging through the many reference books, obviously in search of something specific. “There has to be something I’ve missed!” He continued pulling book after book off the shelves.

Winston stepped forward, placing his hand on Egon’s shoulder. “Egon, come on man.”

Egon jerked away. “No! I won’t stop! Something is off; I can’t explain it. It just doesn’t feel right. There must be a reason we all remember things differently! Each time in my dreams, Janine passed at different points.”

Ray spoke up. “I’ve been thinking that too! But I figured it was just me! You know, like some kind of grieving thing?”

“Nah, it probably is you, Tex,” Peter said.

“No, I think they’re onto something!” Winston exclaimed. 

Peter didn’t know what to say so he just stood there. He hadn’t admitted it yet, but he had his own memories; each one different, like Egon had described. As a psychologist, he tried hard to not analyze himself. As a human being, he thought he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Finally, Egon found what he had been looking for.

“Here!” Egon laid the book down on the lab table, pointing to the section he was interested in.

The others looked, reading the information.

“Okay, explain this to me in layman’s terms,” Peter said, looking at Ray and Egon.

“Basically,” Ray began, “the ghost we encountered when Janine….anyway, it may have been this. It’s an entity that takes its victims and traps them in a false reality.”

“So it’s screwing with us?” Peter deadpanned.

“Well….yeah,” Ray admitted.

“So does that mean Janine may still be alive?!” Winston said excitedly. 

“It’s a very high possibility,” Egon said, determination plastered on his face. “And we’re going to find her!”

*******************************  
She woke to the sound of car horns and all manner of traffic noises. But it sounded far away, muffled, maybe she’s in a tunnel? 

Janine dared to open her eyes. She was in a subway tunnel. As she looked around, she realized she was in an area where subway cars are brought to for maintenance. She wasn’t tied or bound in any way. It didn’t make sense if she’d been abducted. It also bothered her that the last thing she remembered was helping the guys bust a very nasty Class 5. Janine had thrown out the trap and was preparing to open it when a blinding white light engulfed her. She couldn’t see anything but distinctly remembered something hitting her on the head. She reached up and touched the back of her head; it was still sore. She could feel dried blood tangled in her hair.

She looked around for any signs of her captor but didn’t see anything. Janine ran towards the tunnel adjoining the area she was in. But she was suddenly and painfully stopped when she ran into an invisible field of some sort.

Janine heard an evil cackle from all around. Finally, the ghost showed itself. 

“Weelllll,” It drawled, “the sleeping female has awaken.” It hovered in front of Janine, separated by the invisible field. 

“Who are you and what the hell is going on?!” Janine demanded.

The ghost sneered at her. “You, my darling, are in no position to make demands.”

Janine’s eyes narrowed. “Ok, I’ll play its little game,” she thought to herself. “Can you please tell me your name and where we are?”

The ghost smiled. “That’s more like it. I am known as Shamus. And we are in what I believe is known among your kind as the subway system.”

“Why am I here?” Janine asked calmly. 

“Ahh, that’s the best part!” Shamus announced. “You and your friends were trying to capture me. I am aware of who your friends are and what they do. I thought I’d have a little fun.”

Janine’s eyes narrowed more. “What do you mean?”

Shamus sneered again. “I have a unique ability to make people think things have happened when in reality, it has not. Your friends are going through their daily lives convinced you’re dead!” His laugh echoed throughout the tunnel.

Janine ran towards him again, stopping just short of the force field. “YOU SON OF A BITCH! THEY’LL FIGURE THIS OUT AND TRAP YOU!!”

Shamus laughed again. “Oh my dear. They can’t rescue you when they don’t even know you’re in need of being rescued! As far as they know, you’re six feet under! They’re all too busy mourning!”

Janine pounded repeatedly against the force field. Shamus continued to laugh. 

“So, you’ve made them believe I’m dead?! Funeral and everything?!” Janine screamed.

“Yes my dear. So you may as well get used to your quarters. At least, until I tire of your complaining,” Shamus said, his sneer turning dark and evil. “Or until I get bored and am in need of entertainment.”

Janine’s eyes widened, fear setting in. “Wh-what are you going to do with me?”

“I might decide to give you nightmares, too,” Shamus laughed. 

Janine slowly backed up several feet and sat down. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, hugging herself into a tight ball. “Come on guys,” she whispered, “please figure this out. Egon, please…”

*******************************  
Winston brought sandwiches and sodas into the lab for everyone to eat. Egon, Ray and Peter had their noses stuck in books. 

Egon sat back in the chair, closed his eyes and tried to remember every detail from the bust that caused all of this. He spoke out loud as he was recalling:

“Janine threw out the trap and was getting ready to open it,” he said slowly. 

“Yeah,” Peter agreed. “I was on the far left side of the area, Winston was over on the right, Ray was coming in from behind, and you were almost directly in front of it.”

Egon opened his eyes, looking at Peter. “Janine was a few yards to my right.”

Winston chimed in. “The ghost screamed something before…..she disappeared!”

Ray jumped up out of his chair. “Yes! At first, I thought she had been stabbed - impaled with a metal railing from the broken stairwell! That’s how we thought she died!”

Peter started getting excited. “Right! But her and the ghost both disappeared!”

Egon sat back in his chair, running his fingers through his hair. “This ghost is tricking us into thinking she died - probably because of our attempt at capturing it.”

“Then the million dollar question is: where is she?” Winston asked. 

Peter walked across the room to a map of New York that Egon kept hung up on the lab wall. “We were here in this warehouse when we were trying to catch it,” he said pointing to the spot on the map. 

The others joined him. “And the surrounding areas would have been its best bet to retreat to,” Winston pointed out.

“That could still be any number of places,” Ray said.

“Yes, But if you were a ghost with a hostage, where would you go?” Egon asked. 

Just then, Slimer appeared, leaving his usual green ooze on the adjoining wall. He still looked very sad, not realizing what the guys now believed to be true.

“Where would you go, Slimer?” Ray asked. “If someone was chasing you and a friend, where would you go?”

Slimer seemed confused by the question, but after a few moments of quick deliberation, he answered: “somewhere dark, away fwom people,” he said in a child-like voice.

The Busters exchanged looks and smiled. 

“The subway!” they all shouted together. 

“Way to go, Spud!” Peter congratulated. “I’m gonna bring you back your very own pizza!”

Slimer perked up. “Pizza?!” But then he looked at Ray, unsure of what had just happened.

“We don’t think Janine is gone!” Ray explained. 

“Janine ok?” Slimer asked.

“We think so, Spud,” Peter said. “And when we bring her back, I’ll give you a pizza!”

“Wif peppewoni?”

“Yeah, pepperoni,” Peter agreed.

“Peppas?”

Peter nodded.

“And chocwate scwips?”

Peter frowned. “I’ll see about the chocolate chips.”

They gathered their equipment, extra traps and a few other items just in case. Winston and Ray were getting into Ecto-1 when Peter stopped Egon for a quick pep talk. 

“Egon,” he said as he placed a hand on his shoulder, “I don’t wanna be morbid but if we should be wrong about this….”

“She’s alive, Peter,” Egon said smiling.

“How can you be sure?” Peter asked.

“I don’t know….I just….feel it,” Egon admitted. 

Peter smiled as he followed Egon to the vehicle. “I hope you’re right,” he thought to himself.

Ecto-1 was loaded and en route to the subway area the guys thought Janine might be. Egon had set his PKE meter to pick up her biorhythms. The meter kept beeping softly, but as they got closer to where they had been during the bust, the alarm on the meter sounded, the arms raising all the way.

“This is it!” Egon shouted.

Winston slammed on the brakes. They got out and geared up. Peter briefed them again.

“Ok, remember: first and foremost, we find Janine and get her out of here! Then, we take care of this bastard!”

They all agreed. Before they broke their huddle, Peter turned again to Egon. “Egon, listen: I know you have a feeling that she’s ok but….there’s still that chance she’s not….”

“I know. Either way, we’re finding her and bringing her home,” Egon responded.

They turned and started making their way down the tunnel, Egon leading the way with his PKE meter. 

Ray pointed out: “If the meter is picking up her biorhythms, that means she’s still alive!”

“Yeah, But we don’t know what shape she’s in,” Winston said. “But you’re right, Ray. She’s alive.” He gave Ray a warm smile; he hoped as much as they all did that they’d find Janine ok.

After what seemed like forever, they came upon the area where Shamus was holding Janine. They could see her behind the invisible shield, but the ghost was nowhere in sight. It took all of Egon’s willpower not to run to her.

“Why isn’t she trying to move?” Ray asked.

“She’s being contained,” Egon answered. “That’s my guess. Otherwise, she’d be out of here.”

“Yeah, But where’s the ghost?” Peter asked warily.

Winston was keeping an eye on his PKE meter. “It’s close guys; the readings are getting stronger.”

They had their weapons primed and ready to go. Suddenly, they saw Shamus enter the area. He hovered again in front of Janine. 

“Well, my dear. It seems that your friends have forgotten you,” he taunted. “Guess they’re too busy mourning your loss. Maybe it’s time I make that a reality?!”

Janine stood up, terrified but ready to face her fate. “If I’m going down, I’m taking this fucker with me!” she thought. She still had the trap from their previous attempt of busting the ghost hooked onto her belt; she had been keeping it concealed behind her. She slowly approached the edge of the force field.

Just then, she saw the guys stealthily moving in behind Shamus. She smiled and kept eye contact with the ghost. 

As the Ghostbusters moved in, Winston spotted the trap Janine was hiding behind her back. He gestured to the others; they nodded to signal they understood. 

Shamus removed the force field. As soon as he did, Peter made the call: “HIT EM!”

All four proton streams fired, holding the ghost in place. Peter looked at Janine: “THROW IT!”

She slid the ghost trap out directly under Shamus and activated it. They lowered him down into the trap, Janine quickly closing it.

As they all ran towards Janine, cheering both that she was alive and they had captured the ghost, Janine collapsed, falling forward into Egon’s arms. 

“Janine! Hold on, please!” Egon begged.

Winston performed a quick examination. “We need a hospital but I think she’s gonna be ok. Mostly a concussion and dehydration.”

Egon carried her all the way back through the tunnel. Ray had the smoking trap while Peter and Winston ran ahead to get Ecto started. Janine stayed awake during the trip to the hospital. Egon and Peter kept her awake with idle conversation. As soon as they arrived at the ER, a doctor and two nurses took Janine to be examined and treated. 

After an hour and a half, the doctor appeared and told them she was going to be ok. Her X-rays and CT scan showed no major internal injuries. The only issues they found were that she was dehydrated and had a concussion, along with a gash on her head that took eight stitches to close. 

They all burst into her room to see her. She was hooked up to IV antibiotics as a precaution as well as fluids to rehydrate her. There were a few bandages here and there on her arms from minor cuts and scrapes. Otherwise, she looked fairly well. 

As they gathered around her bed, Janine took a deep breath and sighed. “Ok, will somebody please tell me what the hell happened? I mean, I know the ghost was making you guys think I was dead, but how long was I actually gone?”

“It felt like two weeks or more,” Ray began. “But, according to the date on today’s newspaper, it was only three days!”

“How’s that possible? I mean, Egon has grown a beard and everything!” Winston said.

Janine giggled. “I can’t imagine that!”

Egon blushed. “We must have been in some kind of parallel reality where time was altered. Or perhaps, we were just being forced to see those things by the ghost?”

“Who cares? We got the ghost, Janine’s ok; no problems!” Peter exclaimed. 

“Yeah! Janine, do you need anything?” Ray asked.

For a moment, she looked afraid to say anything but then decided to anyway. “Well, I feel like I could sleep for a while….”

“Alright then! Let’s give the lady some space!” Peter said.

They were reluctant to leave, but they also knew Janine needed her rest. Winston and Ray waved, promising they’d be back later. Peter stepped out, leaving Egon alone with her.

Janine smiled as he stood by her bedside. He looked hesitant, not sure what to do or say. 

“Egon, if you don’t say something, I’m gonna cry.”

“Please, don’t do that! Enough tears have been shed lately,” Egon said softly. 

Janine reached over to hold his hand, her hands shaking. “I….I was angry that the ghost tricked you guys. But I also had hoped you would figure it out.”

Egon’s eyes met Janine’s, instantly pooling with tears that he refused to let go. “It was the worst time of my entire life,” he whispered. “Watching you die in my arms was a nightmare. Everything I had ever wanted to say to you….needed to say…..and it was too late.”

Janine’s bottom lip trembled. “I’m here now…,”

Egon’s grip on her hand tightened just a bit, not enough to hurt. “Janine….I….I….have always had a difficult time with certain emotions. But, we both know there is a chemistry between us….more than employer/employee….more than good friends….,”

Janine nodded, almost holding her breath for what she hoped was coming.

“I love you, Janine. And I don’t want to have regrets of not telling you that, of not spending time with you. I want you in my life…..on a more….personal level.”

“Oh Egon!” Janine pulled him down to her, their lips crashing together. And Egon didn’t resist. As a matter of fact, he deepened the kiss. 

Once they parted, Egon caressed Janine’s cheek, his hand shaking. “Oh Janine,” he whispered, “I never want to let you out of my sight again.”

“Does that mean you’re gonna stay here with me?” Janine asked, hopeful that he would.

“Yes, I’ll sleep in a chair if I have to,” he replied. 

Janine scooted over on the bed and patted the spot next to her. “We can share.” She gave Egon a warm smile.

He smiled back and without hesitation, slipped off his shoes and laid down in the bed next to her. He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her up to his chest. Together they drifted off to sleep, the first of many nights they would spend together.


End file.
